Dr. Alejandro Badia

Should a finger get jammed, “do not pull on it, thinking it is just dislocated. You might only make the injury worse.”

MIAMI (PRWEB)
October 31, 2019

When it comes to ball control in sports, avoid giving it the fingers. That’s because a hard-thrown or hit ball in sports can “jam” a finger, causing a tendon injury known as mallet finger – sometimes called baseball or hammer finger. It occurs when an extended fingertip receives a sudden blow or is forcibly flexed, says noted hand and upper limb orthopedic surgeon Dr. Alejandro Badia.

The trauma can rupture the soft-tissue extensor tendon, which runs along the backside of the finger (opposite the palm), or literally pull the tendon off the distal phalanx, the finger’s farthest – and smallest – bone, leaving the fingertip in a noticeably drooped position, unable to be extended without help, says Dr. Badia, an expert in musculoskeletal disorders, especially of the hand and upper limbs. Tenderness and swelling are also likely to develop in and around the fingertip joint.

Should a finger get jammed, “do not pull on it, thinking it is just dislocated. You might only make the injury worse,” Dr. Badia says.

A mallet injury in sports frequently affects the ring or small finger on the dominant hand. But Dr. Badia emphasizes mallet finger is not confined to athletics.

“The injury may occur if a finger is accidentally crushed in a closed drawer or door, for example, or the back of the fingertip is deeply cut while using tools or cooking knives,” he states. “Older individuals, especially women, can incur mallet finger when performing common household tasks like tucking a bedsheet under a mattress.”

More worrisome than the finger injury itself is the tendency of patients to dismiss the problem – and the pain – as simply a minor finger sprain and delay or not even seek medical treatment. “The problem is particularly prevalent in sports when players want to remain active and play through the pain,” says Dr. Badia, who is founder and chief medical officer of the Florida-based Badia Hand to Shoulder Center and OrthoNOW®.

“The term ‘jammed finger’ may not sound serious, but the injury can actually lead to long-term problems,” Dr. Badia says. “General urgent-care centers oftentimes use this term without distinguishing between occult fractures, ligament injuries, or tendon injuries, including mallet finger and boutonniere injuries.” Boutonniere refers to a deformity caused by a tendon injury to the middle finger joint.

“A significant digit injury should be seen by an orthopedist, preferably a hand specialist, within days,” Dr. Badia urges. An appointment is usually not required if a neighborhood orthopedic urgent care center, like OrthoNOW®, is available.

“Most importantly, avoid a hospital emergency department to treat hand or finger injuries. Besides being expensive and time-consuming, emergency departments may miss the problem or recommend incorrect treatment,” he advises.

Fingers consist of relatively complex systems, involving an interplay of bones; bone joints that act as hinges; ligaments – strong bands of tissue connecting the bones; and tendons, which are cords of collagen anchoring bones to muscle. The anatomy ensures motion, stability and hand strength, allowing the flexing and extension of fingers for maximum gripping and grasping.

“Untreated damage to any of these elements can lead to stiffness and permanent deformity of the fingertip, including development of a swan neck deformity, which causes the finger to bend in unusual ways,” Dr. Badia notes.

Mallet finger is most concerning in children and adolescents whose fingers are still in the process of growth and development. Injuries to their fingers can result in deformities and loss of function, Dr. Badia warns.

Most cases of mallet finger – those involving only soft-tissue injuries or small bone fractures – are treated conservatively by splinting the injured finger. Splints normally must be worn for approximately eight weeks, followed by night-time-only splinting for another four-to-six weeks. Patients engaged in sports or high-risk work activities may have to wear splints beyond the initial healing period, Dr. Badia says.

In limited instances, surgery is needed to repair a tendon and stabilize the fingertip’s bone structure and joint, especially if the mallet injury caused the tendon to pull away a large fragment (more than 30 percent) of bone when it was avulsed from the distal phalanx or if the injury has become chronic because it went untreated for too long.

“For large fractures, surgical approaches include stabilization of the extensor tendon and wire fixation of the distal interphalangeal joint (fingertip joint),” explains Dr. Badia. “In cases of chronic mallet finger, the surgeon may initially try splinting; otherwise, surgical repair or reconstruction of the extensor tendon is performed to improve joint extension and correct flexion deformity of the fingertip.”

Should mallet symptoms persist, the surgeon many employ a salvage procedure that involves use of wire, screws or pins to fix the interphalangeal joint in a slight flexion to enhance finger function and alleviate pain, Dr. Badia adds.

Meanwhile, Dr. Badia offers this advice for mallet finger and finger injuries in general:

Immediately apply ice to the injured, raise the hand so that fingers are above the heart and take over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications for control of pain and swelling.

If finger pain persists more than a few days following injury, contact an orthopedic specialist for evaluation. Don’t delay.

If splinting of the finger is recommended, be compliant and wear the splint. When removing the splint to wash or dry it, keep the injured finger on a flat surface to prevent bending the finger and re-injuring the tendon.

Perform suggested exercises to prevent the splinted finger’s middle joint from stiffening.

Alejandro Badia, MD, FACS, internationally renowned hand and upper-limb surgeon and founder of Badia Hand to Shoulder Center and OrthoNOW®, a walk-in orthopedic care clinic. He is a member of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, American Association for Hand Surgery and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and an honorary member of many international professional hand societies. Dr. Badia specializes in treating all problems related to the hand and upper extremities, including trauma, sports injury, joint reconstruction, nerve injuries and arthroscopic surgeries. Go to OrthoNOWcare.com and drbadia.com.

Dr. Babak Azizzadeh

“I want every patient of mine to love how they look, which means their facial appearance is naturally youthful and balanced. That can be achieved with the Facial and Buccal Lift

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (PRWEB)
October 31, 2019

Dr. Babak Azizzadeh, Chairman and Director of the CENTER for Advanced Facial Plastic Surgery, has developed an innovative approach to achieve a more sculpted and symmetrical facial appearance. With the Face and Buccal Lift, the board-certified and Harvard-trained Dr. Azizzadeh offers an incredibly transformative and customizable technique that draws patients from around the world to his Beverly Hills, California-based CENTER.

This Face and Buccal Lift procedure restores a youthful harmony to a patient’s facial appearance by combining buccal fat pad removal and a facelift. Dr. Azizzadeh tailors this approach to each patient, carefully removing just the right amount of buccal fat, also known as cheek fat, via the inside of the patient’s mouth to reduce the appearance of chubby cheeks. The result is a beautifully balanced and symmetrical facial appearance, without any visible scars.

At the same time, Dr. Azizzadeh performs a facelift to rejuvenate and refresh the appearance of the face. As with the buccal fat pad removal, the facelift is finely tuned to each patient’s specific needs and is performed by Dr. Azizzadeh with unparalleled technical and aesthetic prowess. During the facelift, the buccal fat that has been removed from the cheeks is used as an injectable filler to address issues such as forehead lines, thinning lips, and lines around the mouth. The facelift is completed with small surgical incisions that are placed inconspicuously within the patient’s hairline for complete concealment.

The Face and Buccal Lift can only be the creation of a leading facial plastic surgeon such as Dr. Azizzadeh, who understands that the aging process affects everyone differently and has an unmatched eye for detail to help every patient achieve their facial rejuvenation goals.

“I want every patient of mine to love how they look, which means their facial appearance is naturally youthful and balanced. That can be achieved with the Facial and Buccal Lift,” Dr. Azizzadeh says. “With this technique, I can enhance the contours of a patient’s face to obtain a beautiful symmetry while also tightening facial muscles and fixing loose skin. No two patients are alike, so no two procedures are alike. I spend a great deal of time evaluating each patient and talking with them about their goals in order to devise a holistic, detailed treatment plan that delivers the best possible results.”

To learn more about the procedure, please visit https://www.facialplasticsbh.com/face/fat-transfer/


For more on Dr. Azizzadeh and the CENTER for Advanced Facial Plastic Surgery, visit http://www.facialplasticsbh.com.

About Dr. Babak Azizzadeh and the CENTER for Advanced Facial Plastic Surgery:

Dr. Babak Azizzadeh, Chairman and Director of the CENTER for Advanced Facial Plastic Surgery, is one of the leading international experts in facial plastic surgery. His expertise in cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery has made him one of the most sought-after physicians. Dr. Azizzadeh’s client list not only includes celebrities, executives, physicians and dignitaries from around the world, but also amazing people from all walks of life. He has been featured in The Oprah Winfrey Show, People Magazine, New York Times, Discovery Health, Los Angeles Times, Beverly Hills Courier and numerous other media outlets for his expertise in facial plastic surgery. Dr. Azizzadeh is one of a select group of surgeons who are double board-certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery as well as the American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. His plastic surgery colleagues have consistently chosen him as one of the Top Doctors in Beverly Hills, CA. For more information, please visit https://www.facialplasticsbh.com/

Media Contact: Chloe Belteau , CENTER for Advanced Facial Plastic Surgery, 310-657-2203, chloe@facialplasticsbh.com

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Xtalks Life Science Webinars

Immunosequencing, the science of profiling T-cell receptors (TCRs) and B-cell receptors (BCRs), has been widely utilized to understand how the immune system changes in various disease states and how various treatment modalities impact immune responses.

TORONTO (PRWEB)
October 31, 2019

Join Patrick Raber, PhD, Manager, Research and Business Development at Adaptive Biotechnologies in a live webinar on Friday, November 15, 2019 at 1pm EST to learn about immunoSEQ Technology and its application in immuno-oncology.

Immunosequencing, the science of profiling T-cell receptors (TCRs) and B-cell receptors (BCRs), has been widely utilized to understand how the immune system changes in various disease states and how various treatment modalities impact immune responses. This webinar aims to provide an overview of Adaptive Biotechnologies’ immunoSEQ® Technology and cloud-based software, immunoSEQ Analyzer®. The webinar will cover functions of the Analyzer software and demonstrate how immunosequencing data can be incorporated into preclinical and clinical research with a focus on immuno-oncology and immunotherapy.

Other topics of discussion include:

• Specific examples of how immunoSEQ was used to assess repertoire properties in pre-treatment tumor biopsies and how those findings were correlated with survival and response to checkpoint blockade
• How the Analyzer software can identify individual clones and track those clones in longitudinal samples
• Overview of data on patients who demonstrated adverse events in response to immunotherapy treatment and the repertoire properties associated with those toxicities
• How immunosequencing may be used to identify dominant clones in cellular infusion products, along with appropriate sequencing strategies for monitoring
• Overview of Adaptive’s immuneACCESS® portal, a free, online database containing thousands of samples worth of human and murine data that can be easily analyzed and incorporated into existing or future immunoSEQ projects

For more information or to register for this event, visit Utilizing Immunosequencing in Immuno-Oncology and Immunotherapy Research.

immunoSEQ is Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

ABOUT XTALKS

Xtalks, powered by Honeycomb Worldwide Inc., is a leading provider of educational webinars to the global life science, food and medical device community. Every year thousands of industry practitioners (from life science, food and medical device companies, private & academic research institutions, healthcare centers, etc.) turn to Xtalks for access to quality content. Xtalks helps Life Science professionals stay current with industry developments, trends and regulations. Xtalks webinars also provide perspectives on key issues from top industry thought leaders and service providers.

To learn more about Xtalks, visit http://xtalks.com.

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Contact:

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Tel: +1 (416) 977-6555 ext 400

Email: ctang@xtalks.com

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